From street beggar to high-ranking official

The following day, Lu Li, along with other eunuchs, listened to Eunuch Xie's roll call in the duty room of the palace.

The Admiral's roll call doesn't follow any specific time of day (寅申). It's just a matter of when Eunuch Xie arrives; that's the appropriate time.

The eunuchs summarized their daily discoveries and reported them to Eunuch Xie: what was His Majesty's mood in the Hall of Diligent Governance, how many officials were arguing in court about the matter of the驸马 (imperial son-in-law), and where the Empress had gone to admire the flowers...

The Palace Attendants were stationed throughout the inner palace, and with careful investigation, most things could not escape their notice.

Lu Li was new to the job and was not given any important responsibilities by Eunuch Qian; he was simply reassigned to the night shift.

The lowly eunuchs without official rank were assigned to work during the day and night, and the eighth-rank eunuchs were no exception.

Because of the duties of the Palace Attendants, all residents of the Forbidden City were required to patrol and stand guard at night. However, compared to the day shift, the night shift was much easier.

Perhaps because he started from a high point and had seen more of the world, Lu Li's standards became much higher. Even after becoming an official, he already felt a little resentful of his low rank.

After careful consideration, Lu Li realized that perhaps it was because the Palace Attendant's Office itself was a rather poor government office, and if they wanted to earn money, they could only try to contact other offices and even the outer court to gather information.

"No wonder Xiao Fengzi looked down on the Palace Attendant when he was alive. If there were any connection, he would never have stayed in such a humble office."

After careful consideration, Lu Li realized that among his classmates, Xiao Jizi was definitely the one who had risen through the ranks the fastest and had the brightest future.

Although the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs were only ninth-rank officials, and their duties were limited to delivering imperial edicts within the Imperial City, the Inner Palace, and the Twelve Directorates without ever leaving the court, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs was naturally a rank higher than the other directorates. Moreover, the position of delivering imperial edicts was prestigious, demonstrating that officials did not bow to each other and did not fawn upon those in power.

As for the other eunuchs, Lu Li didn't remember many of them. After all, they hadn't given him any money, so why should he remember them?

Lu Li wondered where Xiao Yuzi was on duty.

If it weren't for Grandpa Chen being our godfather, we'd probably still be sweeping the floor right now!

Of course, sweeping isn't so bad, but being an official offers a much wider world of possibilities!

……

In the evening, Lu Li sat in his own duty room, looking at a group of young eunuchs in front of him.

The scene was similar to when he first arrived at the Palace Guard, but Lu Li's state of mind was completely different.

The eighth-rank steward had his own duty room, but the new duty room had almost no personal belongings except for the necessities. The most conspicuous thing was the stove placed not far away, with the charcoal fire burning very brightly, making the duty room warm as spring.

Sitting in his own large chair, even though it felt awkward and uncomfortable no matter how he sat, Lu Li still tried to imitate his godfather's relaxed and indifferent demeanor.

Today was the first time Eunuch Lu had called roll call. All the eunuchs under his command had arrived, their feet together, bowing, shoulders hunched, chests tucked, heads bowed, bodies still, silent, hands placed in front of them, ready to kneel at any moment.

Lu Li brewed the imperial tea that the eunuch from the Imperial Household Department had sent him and savored it carefully. Even though he couldn't taste the sweetness, bitterness, goodness, or badness, and even though Lu Li didn't actually like drinking tea, he still had to maintain the proper demeanor. His godfather had personally taught him that the demeanor of a superior would be constantly scrutinized by those below him, and if he didn't behave properly, he would lose his dignity.

If one does not express their preferences, their power will be unpredictable!

"Godfather, everyone's here." Xiao Chuanzi, the newly adopted godson, held the register above his head and bowed. The register listed more than seventy people, and none were absent. According to past practice, the palace guards would lead two people on night patrol.

Xiao Chuanzi was ranked first among the five adopted sons under Eunuch Lu. Even though Xiao Chuanzi was more than ten years older than Eunuch Lu, merit does not depend on age. Moreover, he brought his head to the meeting and thus made the greatest contribution. Eunuch Lu naturally entrusted him with an important position and promoted him to night patrol leader on the spot.

This position has no rank or grade, and is somewhat similar to the former clerk Lu Li once was. However, Lu Li's role as inspector required him to maintain the cleanliness of the palace, while Xiao Chuanzi's role was to patrol and ensure the stability of the Forbidden City.

Even though the Forbidden City is guarded by imperial guards, it doesn't mean that the interior can be left undefended.

As for who they are guarding against?

The vast majority of them were eunuchs and palace maids who wanted to secretly do private work at night, and one of their duties was to prevent open flames.

"I don't want to go into the specifics. Just remember the code and password. If you do things well, you might have a chance to become my godson," Lu Li said calmly, taking a sip of his fragrant tea.

The five adopted sons, led by Xiao Chuanzi, all accepted the order. Even though these eunuchs were actually older than Lu Li, none of them had any objections. On the contrary, they glared fiercely at their colleagues, especially Xiao Chuanzi. This guy was confident that he had entered the palace a few years earlier and practiced martial arts for a few more years, so he could steal the kill. Otherwise, it might have been us who won Lu Gonggong's favor!

If that night had happened again, the outcome would have been different.

In order to win the favor of their godfather, the godsons are naturally hostile to each other. Even without Lu Li's deliberate guidance, the godsons will compete with each other until one of them enjoys Lu Li's exclusive trust.

"Alright, all of you may leave." Lu Li waved away the eunuchs.

After receiving their orders, the eunuchs quietly left with red lanterns, but Xiao Chuanzi remained by Lu Li's side.

"Xiao Chuanzi..." Lu Li suddenly said, sitting on the mahogany chair.

"Godfather, please speak!" Xiao Chuanzi said immediately.

Lu Li smiled slightly, finally understanding the feeling he had when Xiao Fengzi only called his name. It was wonderful to have people around him ready to serve him at all times, to be supported and respected.

Being an official is great!

"Tell me, who are the people behind these seventy-odd eunuchs?" Lu Li asked, tracing the names one by one with his finger.

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lu Li realized something: any inconspicuous person may have great power hidden within themselves or behind them. This was the case when His Majesty favored Consort Wu. The Imperial Household Department was not a monolithic entity; many junior eunuchs may have people from other departments standing behind them.

Even when fighting against Xiao Luozi, Lu Li later discovered that all the eunuchs under his command were actually Xiao Luozi's old subordinates, and he had no choice but to promote his former classmates.

Now that he is an official in the Palace Attendant, Lu Li naturally has to be careful. However, he no longer needs to risk investigating such matters himself. As long as he asks, there will definitely be someone willing to tell him.

Xiao Chuanzi didn't hide anything. He had been in the palace for nearly ten years before finally seeing a chance to get ahead. Moreover, the beheading of Eunuch Zhao's adopted son had made it impossible for him to return to Eunuch Zhao's sight. Now, the only thing to do was to cling to Eunuch Lu's coattails. He quickly revealed everything he knew.

Lu Li's expression shifted slightly as he listened to Xiao Chuanzi rattle off names and titles from various departments. He thought to himself that although the Directorate of Palace Attendants was poor, there were indeed undercurrents running deep within it.

Taking Xiao Chuanzi as his adopted son was indeed the right decision, as it allowed Lu Li to gain a general understanding of the composition of the eunuchs under his command overnight.

The vast majority were lowly eunuchs who struggled to rise in rank and simply took it one day at a time. A few, however, personally wrote down their names and handed them to Eunuch Lu for review.

Lu Li accepted the paper with satisfaction. Of course, he wouldn't explicitly say that he couldn't remember all the relationships in such a short time, but he still had to offer the praise he deserved: "Xiao Chuanzi is very thoughtful."

"Godfather has achieved so much at such a young age; we, as his godsons, should learn from him." Xiao Chuanzi bowed again.

Lu Li waved Xiao Chuanzi away, and only after he was left alone in the entire duty room did he tap on those few pages with his finger: "Tomorrow I'll go ask the other godsons again, verify from multiple sources, and confirm from multiple perspectives."

He did not blindly believe any one side, nor would he completely trust any of his adopted sons. Trust is not the shackle of loyalty; self-interest is. Besides, Xiao Chuanzi's perspective may not be comprehensive; he can only tell Lu Li what he has heard and seen. There may be other things hidden even more deeply that Xiao Chuanzi has not yet discovered.

With that thought in mind, he tucked the paper into his sleeve and quietly left the duty room.